6 Tips to Stay Lean While Winter Passes

6 Tips to Stay Lean While Winter Passes

 

PICK POWER CARBS

Limited sunlight can lower levels of serotonin, the feel-good hormone, and make you crave comfort foods, such as starchy carbs. Beans provide those carbs, as well as satiating protein and filling fiber (a cup has 12 grams). Findings from the National Nutrition and Health Examination Survey show that people who eat beans weigh seven pounds less on average than those who snub them.

ORDER SURF, NOT TURF

Fatty fish, like salmon and sardines, is rich in two essential waist whittlers: omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin, which we get less of during short winter days). Both control insulin levels and improve your ability to burn fat. One study reported that exercisers who took fish-oil supplements lost more fat and gained more muscle than those who went fish-oil free.

DOWNSIZE YOUR DISHES
Serve your biggest meal of the day on a 10-inch plate rather than a 12-inch one and you will reduce your calorie intake by 22 percent, or about 350 calories' worth of spaghetti and meatballs. Why? "When we see a full plate, no matter its size, we expect to be satisfied." says Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

WATCH FOR INVISIBLE CALORIES

A study in Social Science and Medicine concluded that parents gain more weight than adults who don't have children. Every time you help your kids get the clean-plate award, you add to your bottom line - 25 french fries equal 250 extra calories.

SWAP BUBBLY BEVERAGES

A 150-calorie soda a day this winter can add nearly four pounds. But diet soda is not the solution. A 10-year study of 474 people found that those who drink at least two diet sodas a day increased their waist size by five times that of non-diet soda drinkers. If you want the fizz without the flab, drink calorie- and sugar-free seltzer.

KEEP YOUR CLOTHES IN ROTATION

When the cold wind is whipping, it's tempting to slip into sweats. But beware: Get too comfortable and you'll forget what's under the hoodie. Scientists at Cornell University found that prison inmates gained an average of 20 to 25 pounds six months into incarceration in part because of their baggy orange jumpsuits. The researchers recommend keeping the clothes you associate with being fit in plain view year-round. Make this tip more effective: Don't just look at your dress clothes, wear them.

More information can be found in the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of Bicycling.